Astro Boy
2009, Imagi Animation Studios
Adapted from the manga series of the same name, Astro Boy tries its best to remain faithful to the spirit of its source; but the process of teleporting Astro from 1963 (actually 1958, counting the comic book series) to the present was tricky. Osamu Tezuka, revered as the "God of manga," delivered interesting philosophical observations through the eyes of his little boy robot, some of them so dark that several episodes of the TV series did not air in the United States. The feature-length CGI film attempted to do the same, but the adult themes had no "translation" that the target demographic could comprehend, offering only colorful action to entertain youngsters. A long list of big names, including Nicolas Cage, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy, Charlize Theron, Donald Sutherland and others, couldn't save it from bombing bigly at the box office.
DKS 12/17/17
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
